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Delivering Decisive Combat Power through Life Cycle Management

Dec. 18, 2023 | By Leigh Anne Alexander, Director, Integrated Logistics Support Center, Army Medical Logistics Command

What are we for?

It’s a critical question we must all ask ourselves.

For those of us in the AMLC’s Integrated Logistics Support Center (ILSC), the answer is clear: Readiness.

We are for Readiness.

Everything we do, as a Life Cycle Management Command for medical materiel, is about ensuring Soldiers have equipment that is safe, suitable, and supportable. Our mission is all about making sure life-saving medical equipment is ready to use when our Soldiers need it most. Taking care of our people is a no-fail mission.

That is the why.

The how is a little more complex.

AMLC is responsible for the delivery of logistics, sustainment, and materiel readiness from the Strategic Support Area to the Forward Tactical Edge. The ILSC ensures that sustainment and logistics issues related to acquisition programs are addressed throughout the acquisition life cycle, acting as the connective tissue that brings together the medical developers and the sustainers.

Acquisition and Materiel Development

The Readiness and Sustainment (R&S) Directorate works with program managers from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity and others including the Defense Health Agency as well as medical-related Program Executive Offices.

The R&S participates in Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to provide a sustainment perspective and ensure end items under development are supportable by Army operational units. Before an item reaches the hands of our Soldiers, we work with our PM partners to proactively plan for how the item will be supported until its end of useful life.

This plan is documented in Life Cycle Sustainment Plans (LCSPs). LCSPs document how a system will be supported throughout its lifecycle to include field- and sustainment-level maintenance requirements, supply chain and obsolescence risk to supportability, and training requirements.

By emphasizing the importance of LCSPs for medical materiel, the Army is ensuring that the future medical force can sustain its equipment through all operational phases in any environment.

Post-fielding Support

The Logistics Assistance Directorate (LAD) resolves medical readiness issues through a network of Logistics Assistance Representatives (LARs) embedded with Army Field Support Brigades across the globe.

The LAD educates the warfighter and enables them to resolve their field level issues and challenges. By providing technical expertise, the LAD enables self-sustainment readiness capabilities to ensure that formations can rapidly and effectively respond to the demands of the mission.

The dynamic nature of Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) and Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) demands continuous adaptation. The Logistics & Technical Support Directorate (LTSD) utilizes emerging technologies in data science and business intelligence to extract valuable insights from data. By incorporating a data centric approach, updating existing systems, and embracing innovation, ILSC empowers MEDLOG leaders to face evolving challenges with a forward-looking perspective.

Impact to the field

The ILSC’s Life Cycle Management program is the foundation of the AMLC's pursuit of combat readiness. From initial acquisition through the continuous cycle of fielding, sustainment, and modernization, each phase contributes to the formation of agile, well-equipped, and mission-ready units.

As the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, the commitment to excellence embedded at AMLC ensures that the Army Health System will have the equipment and supplies it needs to sustain combat power and save Soldiers’ lives.

Army Medicine is changing, and I am proud that AMLC’s ILSC is part of the transformation.